T7291 Issues in Patristic Readings of Scripture

Unit code T7291

Unit name Issues in Patristic Readings of Scripture

Unit weighting 9 cp

Prerequisites 9 cp in theology

Curriculum objective This course unit provides students with an opportunity to focus at an advanced level on an area of study (patristic hermeneutics) within a discipline or subdiscipline that is not available elsewhere in the curriculum. It is designed to stimulate focused analysis of a current or emergent issue that presents contemporary challenges to some area of Christian life or ministry. It differs in nature from T7171 (Early Church Fathers) in its more focused treatment of a designated challenging topic as distinct from a more general overview.

Learning outcomes At the end of this unit students will be able to:

1. Identify the major elements of challenge involved in the topic
2. Account for the intellectual and/or cultural factors that have given rise to the issue
3. Incorporate a range of relevant primary and secondary scholarship into a study of the issue
4. Analyse the likely impact of the issue in its immediate context
5. Produce a recommendation for a theologically appropriate response to the challenges presented within the issue

Content

1. From the historical-critical method to the ‘hermeneutical school’
2. From the ‘hermeneutical school’ back to the traditional ways of engaging Scripture
3. Scriptural interpretation: The early Christians
4. Scriptural interpretation: The Medieval Tradition
5. Traditional interpretation, the historical-critical method and the ‘hermeneutical school’: a way forward

Assessment profile In this unit, the required assessment tasks will enable students to demonstrate how successfully they can:

1. Review/s of literature relevant to the issue [Outcomes 1, 3, 4]
2. Analysis of the course and likely future direction of the issue [Outcomes 1, 2, 4]
3. A cogent response to the challenges presented within the issue [Outcomes 3, 4, 5]